How to fight frizzy hair

Whitney FriedlanderLos Angeles Times

Despite our differences and grass-is-always-greener attitudes, there is a common enemy that binds women of all hair types: Frizz. This poufy, unruly mess of fluff can affect us all but it's up to the individual to find a way to fight it.

"Frizz is caused when water in the air, like humidity, seeps into the hair shaft and makes it swell," explains Kristin Perrotta, executive editor at Allure magazine. "Certain types are more prone to frizz ... thicker hair, curly hair. [And] all the things we do to style it damages the cuticle, which is the protective layer that keeps the water out. Once that's damaged, humidity seeps in and you have a big mushroom cloud."

Perrotta has a few recommendations for taming the beast:

Learn the art of the blow-dry

Before drying, blot hair with a microfiber towel to remove excess water. Roughing up hair with a regular towel can break the hair cuticle.

Use a nozzle on the dryer to direct air so hair doesn't fly all over the place. Aim the dryer and nozzle down and blow down on your hair.

Consider an ionic dryer (Perrotta likes the ones by T3 and Conair). It "helps reduce frizz because it compresses the cuticle and actually makes drying your hair faster," she says.

"Don't stop blow drying until it's completely dry," she says. "Any water left in your hair brings more water in."

If you have very thick hair or are not adept with a dryer, use a flat iron to polish off the look. To get intense, there's the Remington Frizz Therapy flat iron. "It's a ceramic flat iron, but the plates are porous so they release a silicon-base conditioner," Perrotta says. "As you flat iron, the silicon locks down the cuticle."

Product advice

When choosing a frizz-fighting product, Perrotta says to start with the lighter version of the brand and see how much your hair can handle. Her recommendations: